Human ribs : static testing as a promising medical application.

A mechanical bone testing procedure for medical applications is developed and it is found that properly selected rib segments obtained at autopsy can be tested in bending as straight beams. The component of spongy bone may be disregarded as both its clastic modulus and ultimate stress are lower than those of whole rib by orders of magnitude. Since significantly lower values were found in pathologically demineralized specimens, clinical applicability seems a reasonable prospect.